


Sakura, Kiba, Ino - Green Thread

by RoeDusk



Series: Tapestry - Prologue [12]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Childish Grudges, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-16
Updated: 2017-06-16
Packaged: 2018-11-14 21:06:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11216277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoeDusk/pseuds/RoeDusk
Summary: Sakura's mom and Tume Inuzuka were on the same Genin Team.





	1. Not Quite Best Friends

Sakura had known Kiba since she was very small, since his sister was her main babysitter. The Inuzuka Clan Head had been on a genin team with her mother and they stayed close after becoming chunin. So instead of putting in a request for a babysitting D-rank her parents paid Hana some pocket change to babysit Sakura instead. And Hana brought Kiba with her when she was supposed to be watching both of them. They’d run each other ragged in the park, wrestling with Akamaru and Hana’s pups, or playing ninja at her house.

They called themselves best friends, because that’s what the grownups called them. Bonded over the fact that mothers were terrifying and that dogs were awesome. Every childhood victory of drama was hoarded to share with the other. Kiba knew Sakura idolized Hana, for her skills, for her dogs, and for being older, cooler, faster. Sakura knew Kiba wanted to be a Hero, the Hokage, a super-jounin. But more than anything he wanted to be a veterinarian, because it scared him whenever Akamaru got injured and he couldn’t do anything. That was Hana’s dream though, and he couldn’t copy his sister, so Sakura had to promise not to tell anyone.

Then they started school, and girls weren’t supposed to be friends with boys. Boys who spent too much time with girls were teased for ‘liking’ them, whatever that meant, but it was something bad. So they stopped talking to each other. Didn’t admit to even knowing the other’s name while at school, convinced it was better that way.

But that meant Kiba wasn’t there to have her back when the other girls shoved her into a puddle while calling her ugly. It meant Sakura wasn’t allowed to disagree when their classmates laughed at how dirty and disgusting Akamaru was. It meant she couldn’t hug the pup to hide when she wanted to try, and couldn’t reassure him that _she_ didn’t hate him when he hid under Kiba’s desk to avoid the whispers.

It was confusing and it hurt. She didn’t know what to do about it, only that they both needed to try to fit in.

They still played together when Hana babysat them. Sakura could hug Akamaru and tell him the other girls were stupid if they couldn’t see how cute and groomed he was. Kiba could try to cheer her up by insisting she looked better than most of the other girls at school, even if she didn’t believe him when he did. Then, once they were feeling better, they could complain about how stupid the boys or girls at school were, the little things that bugged them that they weren’t supposed to complain about out loud.

But neither was willing to share too much anymore, because they knew the other couldn’t make it any better.

Then Sakura met Ino, who stood up for her against the other girls. Ino who told her she was pretty and wanted to be friends. Suddenly Sakura cared what someone thought about her looks, wanted them to like her for them. She started thinking about how cute her outfits were rather than just how comfortable they were, arguing with her mother about what she wanted to wear. She stopped hugging Akamaru, not wanting to get dog hair on her clothes.

Sakura started turning Kiba down when he suggested they train together, focusing more on skills like flower arranging and dance so she could do well in the kunoichi classes she had with Ino. And when Kiba tried to help she shut him down, angry at the interruptions. He let her drive him off because guys weren’t supposed to be interested in girly things anyway, but he got more belligerent each time she did it. And Akamaru just whined sadly at her, to no response.

 

In hindsight it was obvious. Kiba was frustrated, worried about losing her - especially to someone else. Akamaru had gotten clingier, curling up in Kiba’s jacket instead of under his seat. Naruto decided Sakura was going to be his friend, and Kiba declares himself Naruto’s rival. Sakura refuses his attempts to help her with studying for Kunoichi Studies and Kiba acts even more messy/loud/obnoxious to prove he didn’t need to know that girly stuff anyway.

It really should have been obvious.

But Sakura was so wrapped up in Ino, in being pretty and demure, being a kunoichi like those lessons were teaching her, that she didn’t look close enough to see. It didn’t bother her that Akamaru whined and avoided her when she wore perfume, or that nothing she owned had dog hair on it anymore. She just wasn’t thinking about it that way.

Instead she was worrying about how to convince Sasuke he was in love with her.

No one remembered who had thought of it first, where the idea had even come from, but it spread until every girl in their grade was convinced they were supposed to win him over. Years later Sakura would try and piece together where the _conviction_ had come from, and managed to dredge up vague memories of an announcement by the Academy, about Sasuke needing support and understanding because of his “special new status.” She thinks it came shortly after Suzume-sensei told them about “special infiltration missions” in class. The Academy wasn’t allowed to talk about seduction back then, and the students hadn’t been told of the Massacre, so it’s possible. At least, it’s the only explanation she can think of for what followed.

Every girl in class wanted to prove they were a true kunoichi, and the competitive ones soon worked each other into a frenzy, insisting that only the one who managed to win Sasuke would prove it to the village. It got so bad that they forgot what they were even arguing over him for, just that it was important for them to win. Someone would hear that he’d smiled(looked) at a girl who greeted him in the morning, so they all started showing up to school early to try and be the first one to wish him a good morning. Another girl would hear from a friend, or a friend of a friend, that Sasuke liked long hair, and the whole class started the long process of growing their hair out.

Ino and Sakura stopped hanging out together, not wanting to give each other makeup or outfit tips anymore, not when it could mean giving an advantage to the enemy. Ino would still give advice on flower arranging, since neither of them had considered bringing him flowers yet, but other than that they hardly talked unless it was to argue about Sasuke or insult each other.

 

A few months after Ino and Sakura stopped talking Hana came back from a tracking mission poisoned. Kiba tried to tell Sakura something had happened but she shut him down, not realizing anything was wrong and more worried about flirting with Sasuke and shutting down Naruto’s attempts to flirt with her.

She realized something was wrong the second day, when Kiba and Akamaru didn’t come to school. But she didn’t realize how bad it was until her Parents sat her down that evening to explain. Hana had passed out and been carried back by her team, with no guarantee she would ever wake up. They wanted to know if she wanted to miss school to visit her in the hospital, in case of the worst happening.

It scared her, and it hurt that she’d almost managed to convince herself Kiba was just cutting classes. She hadn’t even let him try to explain, shutting him down that first day without listening. Sakura agreed to a visit the next morning and spent most of the night trying and failing to sleep.

She hesitated when she spotted them in the hallway outside of Hana’s room. Kiba hesitated too, both of them struggling to remember the easy way they used to talk. Then he shook himself, marching over to hug her because they both needed one. Akamaru whimpered, crawling out of his seat in Kiba’s hood to press his nose into Sakura’s neck. She curled a hand over the pup’s shoulders to steady him, hugging them both closer.

“I’m sorry!” She gave up trying not to cry. “You tried to tell me and I wouldn’t even listen.”

“I should have just told you anyway, In front of everyone,” Kiba murmured back. “It’s stupid I was so scared of what everyone might think. Who cares if they make fun of me? They already do. And I’ve been thinking, worrying that you didn’t know. She’s like your sister too, I should have made sure someone had told you anyway.”

“My… sister?” Sakura repeated, pulling back to blink at Kiba in surprise. He just nodded at her.

“Sure. I mean, if you got hurt Hana, Akamaru, the Triplets, and me, we’d all be here waiting to make sure you were ok. Mom says that’s because we ‘bonded young enough to count as pack.’ But you’re not an Inuzuka, so I thought ‘sister’ might make more sense.” Akamaru ruffed in agreement.

And it did make sense, even if Sakura wasn’t sure what Pack would mean until later in life. She hadn’t thought of them as siblings before, too caught up in knowing boys and girls weren’t supposed to be friends. But siblings were different, they were allowed to know each other, expected to even.

“I want to be here too, for Hana or you,” Sakura agreed. “Because you’re my siblings.”

Kiba grinned at her, and she gave him a watery smile back. Akamaru poked her with his nose again and she laughed.

“And sorry I was ignoring you,” She apologised. “I shouldn’t have… I just…”

“I was doing it too,” Kiba admitted bitterly. “So you can be annoyed at me too. But not more ignoring Akamaru! That’s just mean, he didn’t even do anything!”

“Yes but…! I didn’t…! But Sasuke won’t think I’m pretty if I’m covered in dog hair!” Sakura blurted out, then winced as Akamaru flinched away from her.

“Sasuke spends lunch looking for bugs with Shino!” Kiba argued. “If dog fur bothered him I think dirt would too! Besides, if he doesn’t like dogs he doesn’t deserve you.”

That… made a surprising amount of sense for a boy who avoided Sasuke like the plague. Sakura’s eyes narrowed. “Fine. I’ll stop ignoring Akamaru, he doesn’t deserve it. But you’re going to help me find out what Sasuke likes.”

“Sure,” Kiba agreed with a shrug. “But you have to teach me that flower stuff, in trade. So I can get Hana flowers that really mean get well soon.”

Sakura’s eyes widened and she melted a little. “We’ll start now,” She agreed with a nod. Kiba pulled her over to the bench and they put their heads together, ignorant of the smiles their parents shot their way while they were distracted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on a true story, only we never were able to talk to each other again. 
> 
> Hard to write, but I'm glad I did and it's over.


	2. Fashion

For Ino it started with her dad’s best friends both having boys.

Or maybe it was because she grew up in a flower shop admiring all the well dressed civilians and shinobi, and the boys didn’t. Either way she was constantly frustrated by their lack of interest in her hobby. Shikamaru didn’t care about how unfashionable he was, getting bored as soon as she started trying to correct him. And Chouji took criticism badly, his already low self-esteem plummeting whenever she told him off. It made Shikamaru mad at her whenever she tried, and left her feeling sort of like she’d kicked a puppy.

She’d only suggested he diet once, she hadn’t known any better!, and suddenly Shikamaru was shouting at her and Chouji was trying not to cry. Her dad had dragged her home and given her the harshest lecture she’s ever gotten, telling her she shouldn’t insult anyone’s looks, ever, or think of them badly because of them. He didn’t explain the Akimichi’s jutsus burned fat into chakra, just that it was a good thing Chouji was plump and he was disappointed in her for making him feel otherwise.

She wasn’t invited to any of the boys’ playdates after that, but the scolding stayed with her. So when she caught the other girls at school tormenting another girl she couldn’t sit back and let them get away with it. Sakura was adorable, there was nothing wrong with her forehead. So Ino stepped in, and Sakura still looked at her like she couldn’t believe they were friends. It made Ino puff up with pride to be looked up to like that.

The other girl was happy to listen to her talk about fashion, so Ino took her under her wing. She taught her everything she could remember about hair care, outfit coordination, and makeup. And in kunoichi class she could share her hoarded knowledge of flower coordination and meanings. Sakura’s quickly growing knowledge made her feel on top of the world.

Then they learned about seduction missions and suddenly she and Sakura weren’t friends anymore. They fought over Sasuke, because Sasuke was special, and handsome, and talented, and their _mission_. A good ninja did their mission no matter who got in their way.

Ino had stopped telling Sakura she was pretty, started calling her ugly in all the ways she knew would hurt, because of Sasuke. She did it because, at the time, she convinced Sakura had betrayed her. Here she was, with her first ninja mission, and when she told Sakura about it the other girl tried to steal it from her! Instead of helping! She deserved whatever Ino threw at her for that.

Because Ino was a child, she didn’t realize that she was being cruel and petty. Looking back on it later in life she’ll cringe and have to resist the urge to find Sakura and apologize, again. But now she’s still a child, self assured and cruel. Still, a part of her still thought Sakura was cute and wanted her back. After she learned her lesson they could be friends again, and everything would be as it should be again.

She still looked for Sakura every morning, which is why she found herself worrying when the other girl never showed up at school. The second day it happened she was worried enough to go to the teacher, who told her not to worry about it and nothing else. So she asked her dad when she got home, but he hadn’t heard of anything being wrong. He sent her to bed with a worried frown and promised to tell her if he found anything out.

The third day Sakura was back, but she was acting _strange_. She stared out the window sadly instead of focusing on the teacher and ate lunch with _Kiba_ of all people. Sakura was explaining something to him when Ino checked, so hopefully it was just tutoring, but it still bugged her. When she got home her dad took her aside and explained that Sakura had missed school because Hana Inuzuka was in the hospital. It didn’t make sense, why would _her_ friend care if Kiba’s sister was in the hospital? All Ino could think of was Sakura sitting with Kiba at lunch instead of her, but how did they even know each other?

She told her dad they weren’t even friends and he gave her an odd look. “Ino, Sakura’s mom is one of Tsume’s teammates, she grew up with Hana and Kiba. They’re practically family.”

And Ino hadn’t known that, hadn’t even guessed from what she’d seen or heard from her best friend. Then, the next day, in kunoichi class Sakura asked Suzume-sensei about flower meanings instead of her!

Ino raced home after school, getting to the flower shop well before Sakura arrived, leading a pointy-haired ninja and Kiba to the shop.

“You can’t come,” Ino insisted, rushing forward to block their path. She glared at them, face hot as she tried to herd them back through the door. But the ninja wasn’t moving, so her pushing wasn’t doing anything. Sakura and Kiba were giving her curious, annoyed looks from either side.

“Ino!” Her dad chastised her, hurrying forward to pull her away from the intruders. “Ino, you can’t just stop people from coming in! We’re a shop, they’re here to buy our flowers!”

“But she asked Suzume-sensei about them instead of me!” Ino protested, looking up at him. She expected him to back her up, but he only sighed.

“Ino, sweetie, that’s not enough of a reason to bar them from the flower shop.”

Ino stared at him in horror, and after a moment he continued, tiredly.

“Whatever argument you and Sakura are having, I need you to try to leave it outside.”

“But Dad!”

“Ino…” Her father looked at Sakura and the others with a wince. The pointy-haired ninja just smiled at him.

“We’ll go look at the flowers, why don’t you take a moment to talk this out.”

 

Inoichi was relieved when Kizashi herded Sakura and Kiba further into the shop, grateful that the other father understood Ino’s tantrum and hadn’t gotten upset. But that still left Ino to deal with.

“Ino, look at me,” he tried, kneeling in front of her and leaning out of the way when she took a swing at his face. “Hey now, none of that. Ino... I know you’re upset but try to listen? If Sakura was in the hospital would you try to make sure no one brought her flowers?”

“What?!” Ino gasped. “No!”

“Then why do you want to stop her from bringing flowers to someone who is?”

“It’s not the same,” his daughter insisted, crossing her arms in a huff.”

“Because you don’t want Sakura to get what she wants?” Inoichi hazarded, but Ino shook her head. “Why then?”

Ino pouted. “It just is,” she decided finally, unable to come up with a better excuse.

“Why are the two of you even fighting?” Inoichi asked. “I mean, I remember you saying you were mad at her for liking the same guy as you, but is it really worth pushing away your best friend over a guy you might not even like in a few months?” Shikaku, Chouza, and him had always agreed that someone who tried to get between them and their friends wasn’t worth pursuing. But they’d also been at least a little older before they ran into the problem…

“But it’s _Sasuke_!” Ino all but shouted at him. “He’s pretty and strong and smart and the same age as us. And if I can’t make him like me I’m not a real kunoichi!”

“Who told you that?!” Inoichi startled. “Ino, your value as a kunoichi never, _never_ , has anything to do with how much a boy likes you!”

“But a true kunoichi is supposed to in-sin-you-ate herself into the lives of those the village takes a special interest in!”

“Sweetheart no, that’s not true at all.” Inoichi protest, already mentally writing the rant he was going to deliver to the Academy instructors. “On certain types of missions any shinobi might have to fool a mark into liking them. But you can become a powerful kunoichi without ever taking that sort of mission. I promise no one is expecting you to… _seduce_ Sasuke!”

“Then why did the teachers tell us he was a _special case_?!” Ino demanded hysterically.

“Because his whole Clan was just murdered?” Inoichi suggested desperately, but that seemed to startle Ino worse. He swallowed at her confused look. “They didn’t tell you? Ino, Sasuke came home to find his whole family dead. The one who did it came after him too, but didn’t get to finish the job. _That’s_ why they asked you to be careful around him. He’s lost everything, he won’t be interested in replacing that yet.”

“But I wouldn’t be replacing anyone,” Ino insisted. “I could be there to cheer him up when he was sad, or… whatever else girlfriends are supposed to do.”

Inoichi had to hide a grimace. “Listen, Ino. If you came home to find someone standing over me, with a kunai they’d just stabbed me through with, and I never woke up again, would you want all the boys in class to suddenly decide they wanted to be your boyfriend? Even when you tried to visit my grave they would follow you, ask you what sort of boy you like, or promise they would be strong enough to protect you from my killer?”

“No,” Ino managed after a long moment, shaky and pale. “I’d want them to go away. I’d _make_ them go away, or regret it. I’d rather…” She hesitated and glanced across the room at their customers.

“Alright,” Inoichi agreed, brushing his daughter’s hair back behind her ear. “Nothing’s going to happen to me, I can defend myself you know. And Shikaku and Chouza will protect me too.” He smiled, and she managed a wobbly smile back. “Now, do you want to help me pick out flowers so Sakura can take them to visit Hana?”

“Will she be alright?” Ino asked softly. “She’s going to be ok, right? Hana’s not going to die?”

“She’ll be alright,” Inoichi promised. “There might be some problems because of the poison but she’ll live. It’s just going to take some time for her to recover.”

“Can I bring her one of the charms to ward off poison?” Ino asked and Inoichi smiled at her.

“Come on, let’s ask Sakura if you can go with them when they visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still torn between "Why did I ever try to write kids" and "I think that went well"...


	3. Trust

Kiba didn’t like Ino much. She was loud, annoying, rude, and she’d made Sakura cry. Akamaru liked the way she smelled when they first started going to class, a little bit like earth and a little bit like flowers. Then she’d started prettying herself up for Sasuke and insulted Akamaru, all before she made Sakura cry. So he didn’t really like her much anymore.

She’d apologized to Sakura though, and stopped insulting him and Akamaru when she insisted. But that didn’t mean he thought they should be friends or anything. Better to keep her far away, where she couldn’t hurt Sakura again. But Akamaru pointed out that he’d hurt Sakura too, even if it wasn’t as bad, and driving Ino away would only hurt her worse.

Besides, Sakura liked her and wanted to give her another chance. Kiba certainly wasn’t letting her take that kind of risk alone!

 


End file.
